A decent Fridayish Quick Cryptic from Breadman today. One or two tricky bits took me 3/4 minute over my average time to 6:16. Did anyone else get hung up on making an anagram of GAME I LOST for 19A or take a while and need both checkers for 20D? Thank-you Breadman. How did you all like it?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is my turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the crossword entitled “The Kitchen Garden” here. Can you find the thematic references and the related song and children’s TV series? If you are interested in trying our previous offerings you can find an index to all 148 here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sport that Lion developed involving resistance (9) |
| TRIATHLON – R (resistance) in (that Lion)* [developed]. | |
| 6 | Doorkeeper and drug dealer leaving quietly (5) |
| USHER -{p}USHER (drug dealer) without [leaving], the P (quietly). | |
| 8 | Unusual flies circling old chap’s insular UK location (4,2,3) |
| ISLE OF MAN – O (old) in [unusual] (flies)* + MAN (chap). | |
| 9 | Saying taken from go-ahead agency (5) |
| ADAGE – Hidden in, [from], go-aheAD AGEncy. | |
| 10 | Party platform ignoring last thing affected by Reform (4,5) |
| STAG NIGHT – STAG{e} (platform) without the last letter, [ignoring last], + (thing)* [affected]. | |
| 12 | Woman’s concealing corroded radiator? (6) |
| HEATER – ATE (corroded) in HER (woman’s). | |
| 13 | Fix fight against European (6) |
| SCRAPE – SCRAP (fight) + E (European). Scrape the noun. | |
| 16 | Reportedly study good article on gold musical instrument (4,5) |
| REED ORGAN – REED sounds like [reportedly] READ (study) + OR (gold in heraldry) + G (good) + AN (indefinite article). | |
| 18 | Type of paint Gloria half used outside in stages (5) |
| GLOSS – First 3 letters of GLOria [half used] + outside letters of StageS. | |
| 19 | Game I lost unfortunately leading to a rage (9) |
| SOLITAIRE – (I lost)* [unfortunately] + A + IRE (rage). | |
| 21 | Son Kelvin that is heading for ruin — someone going downhill fast? (5) |
| SKIER – S (son) K (Kelvin, the unit of absolute temperature) + I.E. (that is) + first letter of, [heading for], Ruin. | |
| 22 | Total in writing correct (9) |
| DOWNRIGHT – DOWN (in writing, as in “He had it down on paper”) + RIGHT (correct). | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Samples tagliatelle on vacation somewhere in Italy (7) |
| TRIESTE – TRIES (samples) + T{agliatell}E without the middle lettes, [on vacation]. Nice surface. | |
| 2 | Quite afflicted state (3,3) |
| I’LL SAY – ILL (afflicted) + SAY (state, the verb). | |
| 3 | Ancient character’s a spiky thing (5) |
| THORN – Double definition. The first definition referring to the letter in the Old English, Old Norse, Old Swedish and modern Icelandic alphabets, as well as modern transliterations of the Gothic alphabet, Middle Scots, and some dialects of Middle English. It is equivalent to the modern “th”. | |
| 4 | Meat reduced to pound (3) |
| LAM – LAM{b} (meat) [reduced]. | |
| 5 | No news there, I broadcast, still in ignorance (4,3,5) |
| NONE THE WISER – (no news there I)* [broadcast]. Another nice surface. | |
| 6 | Writer in university’s meeting editor without permission (12) |
| UNAUTHORISED – AUTHOR (writer) in UNI’S (university’s) + [meeting] ED (editor). | |
| 7 | Violent, aggressive person owned box containing ecstasy (8) |
| HEADCASE – E (ecstasy) contained in HAD (owned) + CASE (box). | |
| 11 | Cheerful Simon regularly observed 51 plants (8) |
| GLADIOLI – GLAD (cheerful) + alternate letters, [regularly observed], of sImOn + LI (51 in Roman numerals). | |
| 14 | Tory visitor avoiding United crowd (7) |
| CONGEST – CON (Conservative; Tory) + G{u}EST (visitor) without [avoiding] the U (United). Crowd the verb. | |
| 15 | Travel up with Heather casting amorous glances (6) |
| OGLING – GO (travel) [up] -> OG + LING (heather). | |
| 17 | Aquatic mammal having excessive energy on river (5) |
| OTTER – OTT (over the top; excessive) + E (energy) + R (river). | |
| 20 | Vulgar animal noise (3) |
| LOW – Double definition. I need both checkers to see this. | |
No let up for the QC crew!
I should add that I think we’ve had some pretty good puzzles in this little stretch. Not all difficulty is created equal, I’ve been enjoying these on the whole, but I’m sure there are a few people waiting for a sub-100 QSNITCH.
I would certainly like a few a bit easier!
Some of the answers were quite obvious, some were not. Clues like Isle of Man and none the wiser were very biffable, but I struggled with downright and, of course, solitaire. Getting unauthorised provided a pair of key starting letters, enabling me to finish off the final quadrant.
Time: 11:04
I have no solving time to report as I fell asleep and lost track. That wouldn’t have happened if I had been rattling through it, but I was struggling to find answers. On resumption I completed the grid eventually. ILL SAY had me baffled for ages using a device we don’t usually see in a QC and not that frequently in the main puzzle either.
Nice, chewy puzzle, cleaning up with ILL SAY.
8:06
15 minutes. Yes, I tried to make an anagram out of ‘game I lost’ at 19a, not helped by the crossing letters being included in that potential anagram fodder, so SOLITAIRE was my LOI. Others like SCRAPE, I’LL SAY and DOWNRIGHT weren’t immediately obvious so this was never going to be a speedy solve. HEADCASE is a word I don’t think I’ve seen in a crossword before and was another only solved with the help of crossers.
No grid tricks, as Breadman sometimes provides, that I can see.
Thanks to John and Breadman
I did a lot of biffing, evidently; I don’t remember much. SOLITAIRE was my LOI, so I never tried to anagramise it. I didn’t think HEADCASES were particularly violent; I thought they were, to quote ODE, ‘mentally ill or unstable person[s]’.
Maybe’s it an English colloquiallism but I’ve only ever heard “he’s a bit of a headcase” said about the bloke down the pub who wants to pick a fight with everybody.
Begbie in Trainspotting would have to be the canonical “headcase”.
SOLITAIRE and I’LL SAY at the end added minutes. I got all the first three so thought this would be a fast one but then only two more acrosses went in on the first pass and even getting NONE THE WISER and UNAUTHORISED on sight could help me get back on track. Didn’t understand SCRAPE, never heard of a REED ORGAN, only partially parsed DOWNRIGHT – and would never have got to ‘down’ from ‘writing’ if I hadn’t got LOW (via moo and baa). I’LL SAY was just hard – ill to I’ll was a huge leap for me to make! Ended on a high when I gave up trying the anagram everyone else seems to have been misdirected into trying. All green, but black and blue, in 17.31. Great stuff – and thanks for blog John, much needed today.
I’m not sure “decent” is the word I would have come up with for this puzzle. I found it challenging and at times baffling. I have not seen Ill turned into I’ll before and having got both ILL & SAY from the wordplay I still couldn’t see the solution for quite a time. I also share Kevin’s query on HEADCASE, and I never parsed DOWNRIGHT – “in writing ” for “down” was well beyond me. And yes, add me to the no doubt large number who tried to make an anagram out of Game I lost.
So certainly a struggle – all done in the end but it took me 16:58 to continue the toughest week for many months (based on the average SNITCH for the 5 puzzles so far). Many thanks John for the blog and I look forward to the Sunday Special. Which will hopefully be closer to a QC than some of this week’s offerings have been.
Another trying the wrong fodder for solitaire for a while. All done in just under 20 apart from I’ll say that took us to 23.04, which given other comments is pretty pleasing.
Delighted to dredge up thorn and lam from previous outings which helped along the way. Mrs RH on terrific biffing form was also a god send!
We still have to revisit Tuesday which we left over half empty after 30 mins!
Thanks B and John for the parsing of [stag] night,
Not a good day to misplace my anagram hat and the less said about I’LL SAY, which needed an alpha trawl followed by a long blank stare, the better.
Despite my struggles there was much to enjoy along the way but my COD goes to SOLITAIRE for the misdirection.
Started with USHER and finished with HEADCASE in 11.02.
Thanks to John and Breadman.
I had a PDM for ‘Ill say’ after a long stare.
Very chewy.
I just wish Times substituted Quuck with something else as it is not customer friendly to mis-sell things.
14:04
I took ages to get SOLITAIRE, falling into the anagram of ‘game I lost’ trap to the extent of using pen and paper in vain.
LOI was HEADCASE
Thanks John and Breadman
I was one who spent too long looking for an anagram of game I lost.
I have an objection to Isle of Man being described as insular UK location – GB yes, but UK no!
But the UK is short for “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island” – so given you’re accepting it for GB then it is part of the UK.
I agree with many of the points above and certainly fell into many of the traps described.
I biffed ILL SAY (!!!!) at the (bitter) end of my solve and wondered why I had persevered until that point.
I agree with Srt; many recent ‘QC’ puzzles deserve to be investigated under the Trades Description Act.
I am losing patience and, after being loyal to the QC since no. 1, I will not remain so for much longer.
Goodness knows what newer solvers will make of the last few – there is no encouragement to develop skills and build confidence here. IMO only Wurm, Teazel, Izetti, and Rongo have produced actual QCs over the past two or three weeks.
Reading the posts so far, I get the impression that even some respected, expert solvers are close to revolt.
I do not want the QC to be a doddle but it has become unrecognisable. Will setters and Crossword Editor please get a grip?
totally agree!
Variations in difficulty are to be expected, as are variations in solving ability, so it’s hard to please all the solvers all the time. It’s often been stated here that one doesn’t always have to fully solve a puzzle to enjoy it.
We’re extremely well served by the setters and editor at the Times, and personally I think telling them to “get a grip” is unnecessarily disrespectful.
You are right about my last comment, Galspray. I appreciate what setters and the editor do but I couldn’t hold back my building frustration. I apologise for the ‘get a grip’ expression but I stand by the rest of my comments.
I think we need to remember the way many of us were brought into the cryptic crossword fold by our early experiences here, supported by the many wonderful solvers who contribute to the blog. The QC was my entry point to the real pleasures of crosswords. We don’t all need to progress to reaching the 15×15 level every day to have a sense of fulfilment.
We’ve definitely had missing apostrophes before, because I remember the rage! I think it’s a bit unsporting to enumerate I’LL as 3 rather than 1’2 … but last time I said this I was told that that would make it too easy so I’ll just grumble into my coffee.
Terrific puzzle, nice easy grid. I would have been fast on that had it not been for blinking SOLITAIRE … I fell headlong into the anagram trap, and even wrote out the letters which I never do. Then wondered how on earth I was going to fit GAMO into S-L-T-I-E. Then realised I couldn’t. Then had a rethink. Then finally saw the light and stopped the clock on 09:26 for a Could Have Been So Much Better Day.
Lots to choose from but COD to UNAUTHORISED. Many thanks Breaders and John.
I found myself more or less on the wavelength, so pretty quick. LOsI – I’LL SAY, SOLITAIRE and SCRAPE. Like others I tried the wrong anagrist for SOLITAIRE at first. I also had to wait for LOW, come to think of it.
Remembered THORN, luckily.
COD GLADIOLI. Also liked GLOSS, among others. Solved HEADCASE but, as said above, I thought it just meant a dotty person.
Many thanks, John.
After two disastrous days, a determined effort got me within three. But yes, totally hung up on the anagram of “game I lost”, and assuming 20 is LOW, 19 S – L – T – I – E only lacks A G M O which makes no rage that I can find. And five parsing queries, so all in all, I’m at your feet again, John, thank you.
Oh I see. Humph, Quite = I’LL SAY is difficult.
10: I think you have to say [affected by Reform], don’t you?
Dear oh dear, that makes a whole week of failures.
18:22 for the solve. Last five mins spent resolving the “Game I lost” anagram 🤣 STAG NIGHT and ILL SAY, LOW and took a while to see DOWN=writing.
Definitely been a tough run of puzzles over the past week or so – 18+mins from Tues-Fri. Oh well, keep your heads up everybody there will be a run of easier puzzles coming up and have a good weekend.
Thanks to JohnI and Breadman
I reckon DOWN = in writing
Completed most of RHS very quickly but needed blog to parse SCRAPE and I’LL SAY. LOI SOLITAIRE falling into the anagram trap. This week’s QCs do seem to have been trickier than usual, but appreciate that setters have a fine line to negotiate. Thanks Breadman and John.
For whatever reason – this was an enjoyable hard crossword. A nice steady solve to the 15:12 mark
TYTBAS
From USHER to LOW in 9:09. Tricky! Thanks setter and John.